The pressure at the foot of the Barclays Premier League is starting to tell,
with Aston Villa suspending two members of Paul Lambert’s backroom team and
Swansea City insisting that Garry Monk’s squad remains united despite a
series of confrontations between players at training.

Villa released a statement yesterday confirming that Ian Culverhouse, the
manager’s assistant, and Gary Karsa, the club’s head of football operations,
have been suspended pending an internal investigation. They will be replaced
temporarily by Gordon Cowans and Shay Given. Villa’s players were informed
of the decision at a mandatory meeting at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training